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Bane of the Machine
Bane of the Machine is a popular Uralican EBM trio from Syktyvkar, who are the highest-selling electronic act, and the highest-selling secular act, in Uralica. They are currently in the studio working on their third album. Current Membership *Jarkko Salomäki - keyboards, sampling *Johannes Gies - vocals, keyboards (studio only), drum programming *Lasse Salo - live drums and percussion, sampling *Jeff Laukkanen - keyboards, sampling (understudy) History Unlike Digitoxicosis, where Jarkko Salomäki was simply a member that got added, Bane of the Machine was actually his brainchild, and his fellow band members, Johannes Gies and Lasse Salo, both met him at church in Syktyvkar in the early days of Uralica's existence. Lasse Salo had been part of an EBM band in what used to be Finland, while Johannes, a Mennonite, had experimented with various kinds of music, so Jarkko figured they may as well start a band outside the auspices of their church's worship team. Jarkko got them a contract with a label he had helped found, Detonate Hate Records, and along with Cranked and Soulcleanser, they comprised that label's original lineup. Their completely electronic sound and heavily political, "pseudo-Luddite" lyrics quickly garnered them a huge fanbase when they started touring in mid-2008. Their eponymous first album came out on 1 July 2008, to great applause. Between the crafty soundwork of Jarkko and Lasse, and Johannes' rangy, versatile voice, all the elements were in place for BotM success. This said, the band nearly had to break up because of Jarkko Salomäki's unexplained disappearance in mid-September, but Johannes kept them going, even if it meant touring was slightly more strenuous due to the fact he now had to play all the keyboards. But this was short-lived, as after three months, Jarkko returned, with a whole host of new ideas. Even before officially reconvening the Uralican Tribal Council, he and his two "compadres" were in the studio, messing around with new sounds. By the following March, their breakout album Addicted To Information had been completed, and this would go five times platinum in Uralica alone, with solid international results as well. It was hailed by some Industrial pundits as "the best album of the genre since FLA's Tactical Neural Implant in 1992." Salomäki credited both his new ideas and more new ideas brought in by Gies, combined with improved vocal performance by Salo, for the success. It turned out Lasse had been taking voice lessons from a member of the Syktyvkar Philharmonic Orchestra. Revelling in their newfound success, Bane of the Machine spent much of the post-Karma War period touring, settling down into the studio in mid-November. They are currently in the final stages of recording, and No Surrender is expected to be out by the end of January 2010. Discography Full Albums *July 2008 - Bane of the Machine *March 2009 - Addicted To Information *January 2010 - No Surrender Singles *July 2008 - Police State (from Bane of the Machine) *August 2008 - What Is This? (from Bane of the Machine) *December 2008 - I Don't Care (from Bane of the Machine) *February 2009 - Assimilated (from Bane of the Machine) *March 2009 - Innocent Blood (from Addicted To Information) *May 2009 - Addicted To Information (from Addicted To Information) *August 2009 - Doom Prophet (from Addicted To Information) *October 2009 - Fear (from Addicted To Information) *December 2009 - Overkilled (from Addicted To Information) *January 2010 - 2010 (from No Surrender) *March 2010 - I Am Your Death (from No Surrender) *May 2010 - No Surrender (from No Surrender) Inspirations *Jarkko has said his original ideas were very much inspired by Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, and Haujobb, with his experiences in the Fear Factory from September to December of 2008 having given him some unique new ideas. *Johannes is also a big FLA fan, also referencing Nine Inch Nails, Filter, Stabbing Westward, Blackland, Noise Unit, Fear Factory, KMFDM, and Ministry as being sources of inspiration. *Lasse said his style is "a mix of Bill Leeb, Broadway, and Bocelli," giving it a very haunting quality. Trivia *Johannes is said to be among Uralica's best baseball players, having played it often when growing up in Calgary. *Lasse is an excellent ski-jumper, and can also play the drum kit. Category:Music In Uralica